Long Way to Say Goodbye
by nomorekimchi
Summary: So many years and the truth finally emerges. Byakuya and Hisana fic! rated T for blood
1. Chapter 1

Long Way to Say Goodbye

Chapter One

The air was quiet and still during the summer day despite the number of insects flying about. The scent of flowers bloomed within the garden of the Kuchiki Shrine. The sun was high in the sky, yet it felt calm and cool. The perfect day and the worst; it was the anniversary of my wife, Hisana's, passing. It has been fifty years on this very day, July sixteenth, that she died in her bedroom over viewing this garden. The elders of the Kuchiki council had told me she passed away because of the stress and fatigue of searching. Searching for her abandoned sister that she left back in the village of Inuzuri. It was the only thing that kept her reason of living. To say that without that spark of hope that her sister might be alive, she would have vanished from this world a long time ago. Never to return in fear of the forbidden act she feels she committed. From the awful guilt tearing away her soul. And the more I thought, the more I wondered. What role did I play during her life? What did I do during her despair? Nothing- nothing, but watch from the side and only hope that she would return the love that I have given her. I cursed silently in my mind.

"Look at me. So many years have past, yet I still mourn the event. How pathetic," I whispered to myself. My day became darker even though the time was noon. I could hear soft footsteps approaching behind me.

"Nii- sama, lunch is prepared in the dining hall," announced the petite girl. I turned to see a young woman with jet black hair cut to her shoulder and a fair complexion. The face reminded me of only one person. The only one that could bring me back to life.

I passed her without casting a glance because I knew deep in my mind that I despised this girl. That I hated her for making it seem she was her replacement. But how could I possibly allo that judgement pass through my mind, when she was the sole reason my wife worked herself to her death?

"Byakuya,"

I stopped my pace and looked over my shoulder to stare at the caller. She never calls me by my given name. She now had my attention as I waited for her statement.

"Please, nii-sama. Tell me why I was adopted into this family. For what purpose?" she exclaimed. The petite girl's voice echoed through the large garden and all the bugs flying in the air seemed to stop dramatically. My eyes widened at the thgouht that she might know about the truth.

"I know about the way you look at me. The way you feel about me being here. I know for a fact that you hate me, but what is it that I have done to deserve this treatment? Do you blame me for my sister's death? Or is it your cold, twisted soul that has caused you to act this way?"

I could see she was gasping silently from the long outburst and probably the fear of what my reply would be. I cast my gaze downward, slightly shocked to be attacked in that manner. Silence drifted for a few seconds that felt like hours. Abruptly, I turned away and headed for the family's private library.

"Just where are you going?" she asked as she tried to keep up with my long strides.

"If you truly wish to learn the truth to your adoption, then I expect you to follow me. I am going to tell you our long history, Kuchiki Rukia."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The wheels of the carriage rocked and bumped over the unstable road. The vehicle looked of a great noble's and was guarded by mounted soldiers at the head, rear, and the two sides. From within the carriage sat a young man who looked only around 15-years-old. Together with the young man sat his grandfather. Not so long ago, the young man's parents died and are now heading to their funeral. The young man wore a lonesome and mournful face as he recalled the Elders telling him of his parents' fate. He could hear the uncaring tone of those stupid old men.

"Don't worry Byakuya-san."

"Everything's alright."

"We'll protect the family name."

That's right. All they care about is keeping the Kuchiki's wealthy and powerful. They'll do whatever they can to gain more power. The young man clenched his fist lying on the side of him.

"Byakuya, what are you thinking of?" asked his grandfather, noticing the distressed atmosphere in the cabin.

"Nothing you can comprehend," Byakuya replied. The room fell quiet again for the only thing making a sound was the wheels of the carriage.

The cart arrived in front of a monastery –located on the outskirts of Seireitei -decorated with the spring's cherry blossom. Red maples embellished the temple and brought out the natural red wood under the years of paint. The three climbed down the steps of the carriage and proceeded inside the temple. Byakuya could feel the ache in his stomach from the anxiety when walking in the building. Though the area was a sacred place, he could sense the creep of death clinging in the air. The force seemed to clench of his throat making it harder for him to breath.

"Calm down. Inhale slowly and out," his grandfather commanded as he placed a steady hand on the boy's shoulder. Byakuya did this at once, finding relief once he let out the air and stepped to the shrine that held his parents' names, Kuchiki Ryuki and Chigusa. The site once again made him feel suffocated.

The ceremony began and ended within three hours and throughout the time, there were many tears and sniffs. Byakuya could take it no longer. He escaped from all the sympathetic comments from the other families. He snuck out the temple avoiding the guards and into the street. Byakuya began to jog along the road and soon entered district one. The area had mediocre houses, many pubs, and peasants and thieves were roaming through the streets. Byakuya tried to hide the family crest that was displayed on his clothes, but many villages still caught a glimpse and stayed as distant from him as possible. Out of the air, Byakuya heard shouts from the street across and rushes to where the commotion was.

"Let go you tramp! Give me my wine!" shouted an old peasant. He was a fat, bald man that looked well-polished and had more than enough of his share of rice. The girl who he shoved to the ground, looked beaten, hungry, and whatever she had was self-sufficient. The dirty peasant began to kick her while she protectively held onto the jug of water. Suddenly, she grabbed a nearby rock and accurately struck the man in the head. She attempted to run away, but the old man recovered too quickly and was about to retaliate with a weapon.

Byakuya shunpoed to the man, gripping his arm to prevent it from hurting the girl.

"People like you shouldn't use something so dangerous so easily," he commented. In an instant, Byakuya knocked the man's feet out from under him causing the older male to fall on his side.

"Run!" Byakuya shouted to the abused girl. Her eyes shone with a mixture of shock and confusion. The old peasant was about to get up, so he quickly grabbed the girl to her feet and both began to run. The attacker didn't seem to be following them so Byakuya slowed down his pace, but the young girl did not. Instead, began to sprint to her right with the jug of water. "Wait!"

Even though she was carrying a large jug, she easily dashed through the streets much faster than any of the boys in the household. Byakuya dared to use his shunpo again- worried that someone might identify him as a shinigami- but decided to catch up with her by regular running. He repeatedly tried to get her attention and the girl failed to hear him- or maybe she was just ignoring him to the point where people started to stare at this weird chaser. Either way, Byakuya got more ticked off as this went along. He took a deep breath as he flashed through the air to the running girl, almost crashing into her as he put a steady hand on her shoulder to stop her. Byakuya was panting slightly as the young girl was looking wide-eyed at him.

"You know," Byakuya said between breaths, "its common sense to stop if someone's calling you…" He stopped speaking when he took a good look at the girl in front of him. How could this be? It was impossible. She was…so short! The girl looked to be about 15, but her height was as tall as a grade-schooler. Byakuya towered over her considerably, but snapped out of it when he noticed the girl was intently glaring at him. However, he also took in the illuminating dark blue orbs in the place of her eyes.

"You're that noble who just saved me, aren't you? And not only that, but a shinigami as well," she stated. Byakuya was taken aback. She must have seen the Kuchiki crest on his clothes. The girl was threatening to retreat. "What do you want?"

"I just wanted to know if you're alright," Byakuya answered. The girl didn't say anything, but stood there eyeing him as if she was examining him. The situation became awkward for the young noble.

The young girl let out a small 'hmm' as her reply and started to walk away. She was a fair distance away before she stopped and turned to call out to him.

"My name's Hisana. Keep following me if you want," and continued down the road with the jug in hand. Byakuya was confused as heck.

'What's with this girl?'


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Byakuya and Hisana stopped at a river bank with the petals of cherry blossom floating across. Hisana sat underneath a tree and took a gulp of water from the jug.

"I assume you're a Kuchiki based on your family's crest. May I ask whose son you are of?" Hisana inquired. Byakuya's face darkened.

"Kuchiki Ryuki and Chigusa were my parents. My given name is Byakuya,"

"Were?"

"Their funeral was this morning," Neither spoke.

"I'm sorry," Her tone sounded a little surprised.

"Don't be," Byakuya stated sharply. Hisana looked up at the young noble and noticed the anger and pain that glimmered in his eyes. His body tensed and head hung low. "My parents," he began, "Were murdered."

Byakuya's voice shook with intensity, tears threatening to spill. "By whom I don't know, but I do know the agony that that assassin left to bury deep within me. And I will never forgive him." Fists clenched at his sides and eyebrows clinched together. He thought how someone could kill so easily, like it was nothing. Hadn't that killer thought whose lives would be affected? No, absolutely not. Why would he? Byakuya wanted revenge, but the Elders forbade him from doing so saying that they would take care of it. But a week has past and nothing has been done. Not even a word about the matter was discussed in the meetings. They didn't care, no one but Byakuya did because he was the only one hurt.

Byakuya blinked out of his subconscious thoughts, the fumes in his head releasing. He looked to meet the odd expression of the girl. 'Did I really just blab my heart out?' Byakuya turned his face away, ears pink in embarrassment. He opened his mouth to somehow clear it up, but Hisana spoke to interrupt him.

"I…deserted her, my sister." Hisana held an emotionless face. "Abandoned her, when she was only an infant. Her name was Nami and we both were born in district 78, Inuzuri. Because of the terrible conditions, I was left no choice, but to leave her in that tainted city in high hopes someone would take her. Now I'm just wandering from town to town to get by. Maybe I'll be able to meet her again someday when I'm not her sister. When I wasn't the one that left her in the cold. I don't even know if she's alive."

Byakuya peered at her, amazed at the past she had to endure. She too, has been through a lot. Byukuya felt understanding and wanted to help her.

"Well, now that story time's over, I think its best for me to go," Hisana took another drink from the water jug and hopped up rather gracefully.

"Wait, can I say that I'll see you again?" Byakuya asked. Hisana thought about it briefly, a plan forming in an instant.

'This is it,' she thought, 'this is my chance.'

"How does tomorrow sound?" Hisana smiled. 'I apologize in advance, noble, but you're about to be hurt again.'

"I think we'll get along just fine, Kuchiki Byakuya."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

'Where? Where are you!' Byakuya's mind screamed. His feet crunched through the thick snow that lay on the empty street. His heart beat fast, the small clouds that formed from his breath well noticeable. For the past few weeks, Hisana seemed to have disappeared- never leaving any sign that she would be gone. The Elders of the Kuchiki's have noticed Byakuya leaving the mansion every once in awhile, but never knew where or why. They've been keeping him in the household as much as possible by scheduling more appointments. Them thinking in fear that Byakuya might be meeting someone that wouldn't benefit the rank of the family. Ever since the lord and lady's funeral, the Elders have grown suspicious of him.

However, keeping Byakuya's disappearances secret from other noble families was a necessity to prevent rumors to spark about him being with another girl. The Kuchiki's would want to keep that out of their reputation. Not only that, but to frustrate Byakuya even more, the council arranged a marriage meeting with the daughter of the Kamenashi's.

What worried Byakuya the most was keeping their relationship and Hisana's identity safe in case the Elders find out and decide to take any measure to erase her. But Hisana's missing presence disturbed him to no end.

The sun was high in the cool sky, but drew closer to the earth as Byakuya continued to search. This time he wore ordinary, bland clothes in disguise himself, enabling him to go ask other people of Rukongai. He saved the first district for last, remembering the time when they first sat by the river bank, now probably frozen. Byakuya hoped to find her sitting there, but when he arrived there was no one. What remained was the once blooming cherry tree now bare and grey. He walked along the river, thinking that he may have ended up at the wrong tree, but still no being was present. The winter chill brushed past him, his determination diminishing.

Then, a slight movement to his right brought his attention out to the distance, where Byakuya could hear the crunch of feet walking on snow. Across the frosty water was Hisana, limped over and clutching her abdomen as she smiled at him. Relief fell over Byakuya. He didn't see the strewn hair on her head, the bruised skin, the shaking body, and the tiny, ruby droplets falling near her feet. He didn't see any of it, until he saw Hisana's eyes roll to the back of her head and fell face first into the snow.

It was like slow motion, the devastating action dawdling in time for all to see. In actuality, it only took a second, but it would continue to pound in Byakuya's mind for the rest of his life. His lungs tried to take some air, but were clogged by the instantaneous jolt that sprang throughout his limbs. A silent whisper.

"Hisana?" Her name hissed with air. "Hisana?" Louder.

Instinct took over as Byakuya dashed his way across the river to where Hisana had fallen. His feet cracked through parts of the incomplete frozen water, but recovered fast enough not to fall in.

Byakuya reached her and slowly turned the chilling body face up. His pupils shook with despair when he saw the deep gash spewing blood from her stomach. Hisana breathed heavily in obvious pain. Turning her head to the side, she violently hagged, splattering the snow's whiteness red. Her eyes shot open, gasping when the wound opened wider and the bleeding was immense. Byakuya ripped open her kimono, which exposed the atrocious split in her center. He took the thin yukata that hung over his shoulders in an attempt to stop the bleeding, but the cloth only soaked the continuous flow that dyed the crystals beneath her. Still, Byakuya kept saturating the cloth till it dripped and his hands stained. In aggravation, he tossed it aside and tore a sleeve from his thick kimono, hoping it wouldn't fail.

"Bya..kuya…" Hisana used whatever strength to call out his name. She weakly laid her hand on his forearm. The young man frantically looked at her scratched and torn face, but her lips still managed to tug at its corners to form a soft smile. Her smile, it was like heaven to Byakuya whenever he saw it. It calmed him and made him want to be with her.

"I…"

Hisana was interrupted with another fit of coughing and this time it took longer for her to recover. Snapping out of his trace, Byakuya didn't hesitate to tear another sleeve off, knocking off Hisana's hand when doing so.

"_No!_" She pushed Byakuya's hands away from her, he was exasperated. Silence halted everything. "It's alright. You don't have to save me. You don't have to sacrifice your clothes for me. I'm not worth it, so just stop. It's alright to just leave me here and just…forget."

Tears were on the brink of both pairs of eyes.

"I knew. I knew from the beginning that someday, in some form, I would leave you, that I would send you to live in a lonely world. I could have run away that day. After you saved me, I could have just took off and never see you again. That way, your life would be so much freer, never worrying about me. But I was selfish. I thought that if I could befriend you, then I could live that much longer and have that much more time to find her. In the end, I failed. You and Nami." Hisana took a hazed breath; the tears broke at the corner of her eyes. "And I am so sorry for everything."

No wind blew. No water ran. No animal or person made any sound. The world felt distant to Byakuya. He picked up her limp hand, cold as ice, and felt the shallow heart rate on her wrist.

"Hisana, please don't go. Don't leave me alone!" Byakuya's teeth bit and Hisana's hold on his weakened. "I forgive you, so please. No matter what you did, I still love you."

"I see you need some help there." Byakuya twisted his head up to see a tall figure approach to Hisana's side. "Nice to meet you! The name's Urahara Kisuke."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Water. Deep, dark water. It was peaceful and calm here. As serene as a young girl was drifted along the soothing, warm liquid.

"Wake up. Wake up," a voice called to the floating girl. The sound was angelic, it holding a loving tone. "Quickly, you must wake up."

The girl opened her eyes to show the same pigment as the water surrounding her.

'Who's calling me?' she thought.

"I'm calling you. Please, you must hurry and wake up," replied the voice. Her attention became sharp. She could feel herself lying on the water like it was a solid floor, yet it rippled when she touched it with her fingertips.

"How can you hear me? Who are you?" Her voice was stern and commanding.

"We've always been with you. Now wake up. Wake from your slumber." Now a male voice.

A slight tingle of fear went through her, but locked it up. She looked upwards toward the bright blue sky. Light and free as puffy clouds filled the space. The girl began to feel calmer. Relaxing even more, she shut her eyes. Over time, the pearly blue atmosphere transformed ever so slightly darker. To aqua, sapphire, indigo, cobalt, navy, and then black. A pure black curtain enveloped the earth and silver stars dotted the night sky. Everything felt perfect and she wanted to stay there forever. The water inched closer to her face. No worries, no problems, and nothing to hurt her. The blue liquid spread over her arms and legs and framed her face. Finally at peace.

Suddenly, she was plunged into the deep water. She was being sucked to the bottom.

The girl burst her eyes open and the rapid chill in the water rushed into her nerves. She tried to hold the remaining breath from the surface as long as she could, lungs giving way until they couldn't stand any longer. Her body opened her air ways for her and she predicted the drowning sensation. It came with full force as it flooded into her mouth and nose. The lack of oxygen suffocated her, quickly losing her conscience.

"No!"

"Wake up!"

"Hisana! You must wake up! Wake up! Your sister is waiting!" called the two voices.

Hisana squinted through her eyes as she fought the burning sensation in her chest.

'Rukia. I have to find her. I have to!' Hisana desperately kicked and clawed her way closer and closer to the surface. The light from above was visible, its rays refracting through the water. The surface began to ripple as an arm stretched toward her. Another limb shot out and the pair grabbed her arms. Hisana flinched at the contact and tried to rip out of their grip, but they pulled her up, breaking through the watery pave.

When Hisana emerged, a blinding light surrounded her. She hid her eyes and when it dimmed, she was surprised to see she was dry. Hisana wore a long red kimono with white plum blossoms decorating all around. It was beautiful, but something caught her attention. She looked in front of her and there stood two people. One a man and the other a women. They were both handsome people, their faces so familiar. Then it hit her. She knew exactly who this couple was.

"M…mama. Papa," Hisana whimpered. They smiled sweetly at her. She held her gaze at them, pupils shaking in disbelief. "Mama! Papa!"

She ran towards them, arm reaching for their embrace. Delight flooded Hisana's heart. Suddenly, their form was slowly vanishing. Anxiety replaced that joy and she pushed her legs faster to catch up to them before they were gone.

"Wait! Mama! Papa!"

"Be strong Hisana, We love you." The image of their bodies almost completely disappeared. Hisana desperately stretched, but when she curled her fingers, she met nothing except air. She dragged her feet to a stop and fell to her knees.

'No…_NO!"_

Gripping her empty fist close to her chest, she let out a silent cry.

Hisana's eyes shot open, immediately sitting up on whatever she was laying on.

Her breathing was ragged and her forehead damp with sweat.

'A dream. Just a dream,' Hisana concluded, swallowing her spit to clear her dry mouth. She cringed at the sudden pain in her stomach. Surprised, she untied her bland kimono to show a neatly bandaged sheath around her.

"I'm… alive?"

"That's right!" answered an optimistic voice. Hisana spun her head towards the direction of her caller. The man wore a green yukata topped with a matching hat. He was tall and had a scruffy beard on the tip of his chin, his half shadowed have uncovered his wide grin.

"Who are you?" Hisana snarled. Her eyes turned sleet, glaring at the smirking man. He hummed in satisfaction.

"Well! My name is Urahara Kisuke and I saved your life."

Hisana was astounded. "You…saved me?"

"That's right!" The man began to get on Hisana's nerves with all his giddiness. Urahara began to ramble on about something insignificant to her situation.

'What kind of fool is this man?' Hisana noticed the cane next to him, but she knew it was a lethal sword. 'Shinigami.'

Urahara continued to drag on, Hisana obviously not listening and accessed her memory. She closed her eyes, concentrating on what happened before. The girl gasped.

"Byakuya! Where's Byakuya? He was there next to me!" Hisana exclaimed, breaking Urahara's speech. The older man pondered his thoughts, deciding whether or not to tell her just to make more fun.

"Gee, I don't know…"

"Quit screwing around!" Now Hisana was well agitated. Urahara sighed in his disappointment.

"Fine, you're no fun. He's right here." The annoying man slid open the paper shoji door to reveal Byakuya standing on the other side. His face looked tired from lack of sleep. Tiny dark bags ringed the bottom of his lash line. Guilt sank within her. Byakuya walked cautiously to her, Urahara stepping out of the room.

"Are you alright?" Concern slipped out of his mouth, upsetting Hisana more.

"I'll be fine," she replied. She let a tiny chuckle escape. "I'm sorry. You probably thought I was going to die. Well, would have if that Urahara guy didn't come along."

An iron curtain fell in the room for quite awhile. It was unlike their frequent conversations where they would chatter and laugh and talk about everyday things.

"Hisana," Byakuya sighed, "Tell me what happened before I found you."

Hisana felt a twitch of shame pinch her gut. She couldn't tell him. It was too much for him. So she conjured up the "best" answer.

"Nothing."

Byakuya couldn't believe it. Nothing? Is that really what she said? How could she spout such an apparent lie?

"Obviously not, since that hole in you wasn't caused by nothing!" His volume rose as his spoke. "Just tell me what happened! "

"I was searching for my possibly existent sister. That's why I haven't been around. It was just today or yesterday that these thugs ganged up on me. That's what happened, okay?" Hisana retorted. "Just thinking about it makes me wanna smash their faces in. They got a good hit at me, so I took off."

"Has this happened before?" Byakuya asked it so calmly that Hisana just had to look at him. His face stern and completely serious. Hisana took longer to respond, her mouth open before she could even think of what to say.

"Yes,"

It was all Byakuya needed to hear, but it wasn't what he wanted to hear, not for his whole life. Hisana in this situation countless times before? It was unthinkable and frightening that Byakuya could have done something to prevent this during their time together, but he didn't do anything. Why didn't so say something? No. Why didn't he ask? He cursed at himself for letting this occur, regretted it deeply. Hisana's dying appearance still haunted him. Byakuya needed to stop this, he had to protect her. The safest way was to let her stay at the Kuchiki mansion where she was sure to be taken care of. However, by doing so, that required him to do something every noble would detest and possibly look away in disgust. To break one of the century old established laws of Seireitei's Noble Families: The marriage between a noble and the lower-class.

The thought was awkward to Byakuya. They were best friends, but it was the only way to keep Hisana safe and well. This way no one could harm her, not even gangs from the streets. And she'd never have to steal food in order to survive. But, even if Byakuya accepted this, would Hisana?


End file.
